


the rainbow after the storm.

by CheekSmile



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dead Tony Stark, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Happy Hogan is Peter Parker's new parental figure, Hopeful Ending, Peter Parker Whump, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Sick Peter Parker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-24 06:17:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21333622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheekSmile/pseuds/CheekSmile
Summary: It's been a month since the Blip was reversed, a month since Tony has died. But it's still not enough time for Peter's mental scars to heal: everything is still fresh in his mind, every moment of that terrifying final battle. And, on top of that, May goes out of town to spend a weekend with her friends and he has to stay at Happy's place.That's by far the worst moment to get the flu, right?  Well, apparently Parker's Luck doesn't care.
Relationships: Happy Hogan & Peter Parker, Happy Hogan/May Parker (Spider-Man), Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark (mentioned)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 80





	the rainbow after the storm.

**Author's Note:**

> so.  
This one-shot is long and sad. I really enjoyed writing it, though. When I first watched Spider-man: Far From Home, I thought that there should have been more references to what actually happened right after everybody came back, because in the movie it seems like everybody just forgot what happened for five years. What about the men that lost their wives and got married again, for example? did they get back with the previous ones or just stayed with the women they married during the blip? I have so many questions that I don't think will ever get an official answer, but in this one-shot I wanted to imagine how Peter felt in the first weeks after the final battle and how he dealt with everything that happened.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this.

Peter sat in his history class, his last class of the day. The teacher was blabbering about the Industrial Revolution, but he wasn't listening; he felt like a thick fog had settled in his brain, and his thoughts couldn't reach passed it.

It had all started that morning when he woke up with a slight headache, but decided to go to school anyway because he didn't want to skip it just yet; the lessons had only started back up three weeks prior, a month after The Blip was reversed. A month after Tony-

Anyway.  
He figured the pain in the back of his eyes would fade, eventually, but it only got worse, becoming a constant pulsing that kept him from thinking about anything else. 

He felt something tap at his right arm, and he looked over in that direction to see a worried Ned.

"You okay, man?" Peter just nodded wordlessly, and went back to staring at the blackboard, without really looking at it. He couldn't focus on anything but the fact that he was hot and then cold and then hot again. In that moment he wished he was home, curled up in a blanket with May stroking his hair, or, even better, in the lab with Tony, drinking hot chocolate and sitting side by side on the couch while the man talked about his day or anything that could distract the teenager. 

Peter sighed and closed his eyes to prevent a few tears from falling, because wishing something so hard, but knowing you can't have it is the worst feeling ever, and he knew that better than anybody else. He knew that his parents, Ben, and Tony weren't coming home ever again, but it wasn't any less painful than when he was smaller and they tried to explain it to him. Maybe it was because they had taken his hope away, exchanging it for the hard truth. 

The bell chose that moment to ring, the sound piercing through his head like a drill to his eardrum. Peter stood up on wobbly legs and collected his things from the desk with Ned’s help, and then headed with his best friend to the lockers, walking slower than usual.

“Are you sure you're fine? You’re pretty pale.” Ned asked again, sounding really concerned.

"Yeah, Ned, just... tired." The Spider-kid answered while closing his locker. Together they walked out of the school, and Peter was already heading in the direction of his house when he felt his best friend tugging at the sleeve of his jacket. 

“Wait, man! Where are you going? Happy is here.” Ned said, nodding towards the big man that was leaning against his black Audi. Peter frowned, but walked towards him anyway, mumbling a quiet 'Thanks, man. See ya' to his Guy-in-the-chair.

“Um... Hi, Happy. Uh...Not that I'm not glad to see you, but... What-What are you doing here?” He said when he reached the car. It was the ex-bodyguard's turn to frown, followed by a scoff.

“Don't tell me you forgot, kid. It's Friday. This weekend you were supposed to stay at my place because May is on a trip with her college friends, remember?” Oh, that's right, May's trip. Peter totally forgot about that, well if he was being honest, he actually didn't even know it was Friday.  
He just nodded with a small 'right' while he got in the car, but then something hit him.

“Oh I-I don't have any clothes with me.” he said apologetically.

"Don't worry. May called me this morning saying that you forgot your bag at home, it's already in my guest room." Happy answered while he started the car and began maneuvering to get out of the parking lot. Peter nodded again as he rested his head on the window, seeking relief for his pounding head. He must have nodded off sometime in the first ten minutes, because he totally missed the way his Aunt's boyfriend kept glancing back at him at every red traffic light. Peter was never this quiet, and it wasn't like him to forget things. He seemed... off. The problem was that Happy didn't know what to do about it. He had never spent a lot of time with the teenager before the Blip, only during the car rides to the compound, or that one time he had taken him and Tony to have ice cream. He had only seen him this silent once, the day of the funeral, but on that occasion he had understood, and just sat near him and May while he held a sleeping Morgan on his lap. This time though, he didn't have a clue as to why Peter was being like this. Maybe he was just tired, maybe he just had a bad day… 

He shoved his thoughts away when he saw his apartment building at the end of the road, and proceeded to park the car as near to the entrance as possible. He got out and rounded the car, reaching the backseat door and opening it. Peter almost fell on his side, but Happy was quick to prevent him from doing so by placing a firm hand on the teenager's shoulder. 

“Wha..?” Peter blinked awake looking around confused.

"Sorry to wake you up, kid, but we’re here." the Spider-kid stared at him for a second with unfocused eyes before he understood what the ex-bodyguard had said, and rushed to get out of the car with Happy's hand still on his shoulder. They walked to the entrance, then up the stairs and finally entered the man's apartment. 

It was... old, Peter thought. The furniture looked like it was taken from an older woman's house, but that also made it cozy and lived-in. It wasn't as small as Aunt May's apartment, but it wasn’t big either. It had a living room that was connected on the right with the kitchen through a wooden archway, and on the left with a small hallway lined with three doors: Happy's room, the bathroom, and the guest room. Happy led him to where he’d be staying, showed him where he had put his bag, and when Peter told him he would be doing his homework -he still felt like he was going to collapse any minute, but he had a very important test tomorrow- the ex-bodyguard nodded saying that he would be in the living room if he needed anything before shutting the door behind him. 

Peter sighed as soon as he was left alone, and sat heavily at the desk in the corner of the room before pulling out his flashcards and notes about mechanical engineering. Of course, he couldn't seem to focus on anything; he had to re-read every line at least five times and he couldn't memorize anything his notes said. The pictures in his textbook became blurrier and blurrier, until he couldn't tell if he was looking at an engine or a portrayal of a chemical reaction. He punched the desk weakly, while tears of frustration slipped out of his eyes. This test was worth 50% of his final grade, and he couldn’t remember anything. 

He felt a sudden wave of dizziness wash over him, so he dropped his head in his hands and took a few deep breaths. There was still a throbbing pain behind his eyes and as he touched his forehead with his hands he realized he was sweating. A violent shiver ran down his spine and he squeezed his eyes closed, trying to block out the sudden chills by wrapping his arms around himself. With a sigh he leaned his head on his textbook, only for him to immediately fall asleep.

When he came to, the only thing he could think of was that he wished he hadn't. Now he was shivering uncontrollably, even though he felt like his blood was boiling inside him. Where was he? He couldn't remember, but he realized that he wasn't in his room, nor in any other room he had been before. The thought made him jerk up to his feet, only to fall on the ground when his shaking legs couldn't keep him up. By that time he was panting, both because of the effort and the fear, so he leaned his back against the wall, trying to regain his breath. When his breathing finally calmed down -minutes or hours later, he didn't know- he stood again, steadying himself with a hand on the wall. Slowly, he made his way to the door, stopping a few times when the dizziness made him sway and almost fall. He reached for the handle and pushed the door open, stumbling into the hallway, where the light was so bright that he had to squeeze his eyes shut. He made it another step, but crumpled to the floor when his legs gave out. A faint voice in the distance reached his ears before everything went black. 

.  
.  
.

Happy was reading a book in the living room when he heard a loud thump, as if someone dropped something. Raising an eyebrow, he looked around trying to find the source of the sound, but finding nothing out of place and hearing nothing for the next minute, he resumed his reading. He figured Ms. Brown's cat from the apartment above had probably tried to jump from the sofa to the curtains again.

It was about fifteen minutes later when he heard the handle of the guest room being turned, and the man lifted his head from the book to see the door being pushed open, revealing a very shaky Peter. He was pale as a sheet and sweating, looking around with unfocused eyes with a pained expression on his face. At the sight, Happy hurriedly put the book down on the coffee table and jumped up, running to the kid just as the teenager attempted another step only to end up on the ground instead.

“Peter!” Happy cried out as he knelt down beside the Spider-kid. He lifted the teen’s shoulders and guided his head to lean on his chest, taking in how warm the kid's skin felt, even with his shirt between them. He checked the back of Peter's head for any injuries, but -to his relief- he found none. He proceeded to sit down on the floor fully with the teenager pretty much on his lap, just as the kid began to wake up, scrunching his face up in pain as fat tears began to fall down his cheeks.

“Hey, hey, kid. It's okay. You're alright. Calm down, please, don't cry.” The man pleaded, but the fifteen-year-old began sobbing, trying to push away from Happy as he began to thrash around desperately. He looked... scared, the ex-bodyguard noticed. His eyes were darting around the room, and, when he actually succeeded in breaking free, he scrambled to the closest corner of the small hallway, shielding his head with his trembling arms. The sobbing had somewhat subdued, replaced by occasional hiccups, but the kid was shaking like a leaf with tears running down his cheeks.

Happy stood carefully, slowly walking and making his steps deliberately audible so he wouldn't startle the teenager before he crouched in front of him. With Peter's sweaty hair and very pale skin, the man guessed that the too high fever was making him delirious. 

“Peter, come on, look at me. It's okay, you're safe; it's me, Happy.” he whispered, trying to sound comforting and calm, while inside he was obviously freaking out.

“N-No!” Peter sobbed loudly, trying to press himself even further on the wall.

“Come on, buddy. Let me help you.” The ex-bodyguard had babysat a sick Morgan before, and had seen how Tony behaved to make her listen to him, but this… this had never happened before. Morgan got cranky, but never so sick she fainted and then not even recognize who was in front of her. God, he wished Tony was here, he'd know what to do.  
"N-No!", the kid screamed desperately, "I want m-my Aunt May!" he added as he choked on a sob. The scene he was witnessing reminded Happy of a similar occurrence. The day of the final battle, after it ended, Peter was a mess. He had two panic attacks on the way to the penthouse, a solution Pepper offered to the Avengers that didn't have a place to go as a temporary accommodation, and if he wasn't trying to breathe he was sobbing, curled up in a corner of the helicopter. May was the only one that was able to calm him down; she sat beside him, humming and running her hand through his curls as she hugged the boy tightly. Now, Happy couldn't sing, and he wouldn’t risk scaring the kid even more by trying, but the hand in the hair he could do. 

With a little hesitation, he reached out and slowly put his hand in the kid's sweaty hair, beginning to massage Peter's head. The reaction was almost immediate; first, the boy stilled, and then slowly began to relax, his breathing slower and deeper. They stayed like that for a few minutes till the teenager fully calmed down, then Happy wrapped an arm around him and slowly helped Peter to his feet. The boy's head rested on the ex-bodyguard's chest, his weight fully on the man. As they took the first step, though, Peter looked up with his glassy, red and puffy eyes, and met the man's graze. 

“M-Mr. Stark?” he whispered, and his tone held so much hope that Happy’s heart broke all over again.

“I'm sorry, kid.” he whispered back, holding the boy a little tighter, “It's just Happy.” his voice almost cracked, it was so filled with grief. The teenager lowered his head with a small 'Oh', but grasped the hem of the man's shirt with a trembling, clammy hand nonetheless. So Happy slowly took a step forward, and then another and another until they reached the bathroom.

There, he gently lowered Peter to sit on the closed toilet and reached with one hand for the medicine cabinet to find a thermometer, while the other hand kept the kid from falling forward.  
When he found what he was looking for, he slowly pushed the teenager to lean against the wall and crouched down in front of him.

“Hey, kid.” he said, and waited for Peter to slightly open his eyes to continue. “I'm gonna need to take your temperature now, okay? Can you open your mouth for me?” he asked. It took Peter a concerning amount of time to process his words, but then the teen slowly parted his lips, just enough for Happy to slip the thermometer in. They stayed there in silence, Peter shivering a little, until the thing finally beeped and the man took it out from the boy's mouth to see a big 104.7 on the screen. Alarmed, Happy put the thermometer on the sink and placed both of his hands on the teenager's hot, clammy face, muttering a panicked 'this is not good, this is so not good'.

“Peter? Come on, I need you to open your eyes, kiddo.” he said trying to keep calm, but when the boy didn't respond he swiftly stood up and began filling the bathtub with lukewarm water. He gently lifted the teenager from his spot on the toilet into his arms to carry him to the tub.

"Okay, this isn't going to be fun for either of us, kid, but I have to cool you down." he said, and then lowered the teen into the water. Peter's eyes shot open as he began to scream and thrash around, trying desperately to get out of the water. However, Happy had a firm grip on both of the kid's shoulders and kept the teen pressed against the bathtub wall, the water filled to reach his chest.

“No! Too cold! Out!” Peter pleaded, crying yet again “P-Please, get me out! H-Help! H-Help!” he cried desperately through chattering teeth, weakly trying to free himself from the man's grasp. Happy had to step with one foot in the water to stop the teenager from moving so much and injuring himself.

“A-Aunt M-May! Help! It's too c-cold, please!” Peter was shaking so bad that the man just wanted to pull him out, but even if it hurt him to hear the kid's loud sobs and pleas, he knew he had to bring his temperature down. He wanted to comfort him as he had done before, but he feared that if he removed a hand from the kid's shoulder the boy would slip under the water. The ex-bodyguard tried to tell him that everything would be okay and to stay calm, but his voice was impossible to hear over Peter's screams. 

“Help! Get-get me out! Please, A-Aunt May! P-Please, TONY!” He shouted, and then dissolved in a fit of loud sobs and whimpers, crying loudly. He didn't say anything else after that, just kept sobbing at the top of his lungs until finally, after a good twenty minutes, he cried himself to sleep. Happy breathed a sigh of relief and slowly raised a hand to feel the teenager's forehead. It was still warm, but not as much as before. The man took advantage of the current situation to wash Peter's sweaty hair, then proceeded with lifting the light boy out of the bathtub and drying him off. After that, he changed him into his pajamas and carried him to bed. 

After he made sure that the teen was comfy and warm enough, Happy changed his own soaked clothes and then sat on the sofa to call May, who sighed as soon as she heard the news.

“Poor thing has always caught the worst flu branch ever since he was born. I swear Mary and Richard were always at the doctor's because it seemed he never got better... you know what? If I pack my things now and take the next flight out I can be there in four hours, let me just-”

“No, May, don't worry. You enjoy your weekend off. I have it covered.”

“Are you sure? Peter can be a handful when he's sick.”

“Yes, I'm sure, just... give me some advice?”

“Make him something warm to drink, like soup or tea, and stay with him. He might try to deny it, but he’s even more clingy than usual with a fever and he hates being alone, so sit with him and watch a movie or just do something else near him while he sleeps. It helps a lot.”

“I think I can do that.” Happy said. He was a decent cook and he didn't mind keeping the kid some company.

“Thanks, Harold. It means a lot to me.” May said, and the man could almost feel her smile through the phone.

“Don't worry, it's my job. Just enjoy your weekend.”

“I will. See you on Monday. Bye!”

After he hung up, Happy carried a chair over to sit at Peter's bedside, made himself comfy, and resumed reading his book. After an hour or so, Peter shifted under the covers and then slowly opened his eyes, blinking sleepily while he seemed to take in his surroundings.

“Peter? Are you with me?” The man asked, sitting up straighter, in fear that the kid was still delirious.

“Happy?” the teen rasped, looking in the man's direction while he tried to sit up, before failing miserably as his arms were too shaky and weak to hold him. The ex-bodyguard helped him up against a pile of pillows and then set the comforter higher on the kid's shoulders.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, his brows furrowing in concern. Peter looked at him, thinking about his question as a rather violent shiver ran down his spine.

“I'm c-cold.” He whispered trying to nestle deeper in the covers. “Head and throat hurt.” the boy added with a little whine, but when he realized how childish he sounded his cheeks flushed in bright contrast with his sickly white skin. Happy smiled a little, putting his hand on top of the kid's head in a reassuring manner.

"Well, that's okay. You have a pretty high fever there, kid. And speaking of, maybe we should take your temperature again." He said reaching for the thermometer on the nightstand and slipping it under Peter's armpit. They waited in silence for it to beep, and when it did Happy was relieved to read that the boy's temperature had gone down to 102.2; still high, but not dangerously so. 

“So... how about some tea, yeah? I called May, and she told me to keep you hydrated.” 

"Sounds good." The teenager whispered with a little smile, even though Happy could still see how tired and feverish he really felt. His best friend was a self-sacrificing asshole, or at least that's what Rhodey called him, it’s no surprise that he learned how to read body language through the years. Shoving those thoughts to the back of his mind, the man stood up and stepped away from the bed, but as soon as he did, he noticed how the kid's smile faltered and his arm twitched as if he wanted to reach out for him, but kept himself from doing so. Remembering what May had told him, the ex-bodyguard extended his hand towards Peter. 

“You wanna come with me? Sit on the couch and keep me company while I'm in the kitchen?” He asked, trying to make it seem like it wasn't Peter who needed someone with him, knowing that the boy would feel like a burden. 

“Yeah, okay.” Peter agreed, and slowly sat up, gladly taking Happy's hand for support. Once on his feet, though, he stumbled forward, but thankfully the ex-bodyguard was ready to catch him and sustain his weight, whispering a little 'I gotcha, kid' and beginning to walk slowly towards the living room. Once there, he helped the teen settle down on the couch with a blanket and some pillows, switched the TV on, and headed to the kitchen to make some tea.

The hot drink was ready in ten minutes and soon enough the man was sitting next to the teen with two steaming cups of tea, a black one for himself and a green one with extra honey for Peter and his sore throat. The two enjoyed their beverages while they watched reruns of shows that were at least 5 years old, that way Peter had already seen them and didn't have to focus too much. In fact, after the second episode, the sick boy began to nod off, resting his head on Happy's shoulder. When he came dangerously close to spilling the remaining tea in his mug over them, Happy gingerly slipped the cup out of his hands before placing it on the coffee table and adjusting the blanket around the kid's slightly shivering form. Unfortunately, every few minutes Peter would jerk himself awake, snapping his eyes open and blinking rapidly. Taking notice of this the ex-bodyguard lowered the TV volume, thinking that it was disturbing the kid's sensitive hearing, but it kept happening, even with the TV on mute. As soon as he was about to fall asleep, Peter would snap his eyes open and try to keep them that way. 

“Go to sleep Peter, I don't mind.” Happy finally whispered, thinking that maybe the kid was trying to stay awake to keep him company; however, to his surprise, the boy shook his head firmly and kept staring at the TV. 

“Come on, you need to rest.” He insisted, but Peter kept his eyes wide open. Sensing that something was up, Happy turned a little towards the teen, letting him curl up beside him with the boy's head on the ex-bodyguard's chest, and wrapped an arm around him. The man looked down trying to catch Peter's graze, but the kid kept staring intensely ahead, so Happy gently nudged him.

"What's the matter?" He asked in a casual tone. 

“Nothing.” Peter whispered, and then cleared his throat weakly.

"Then go to sleep." The man reasoned, but he received another shake of his head as an answer. "Why not?" The kid didn't answer, he just kept staring determinedly at the TV. "Peter?" 

“Please, don't make me..” The teen whined, turning his head in the man's chest. Happy tightened his grip on the boy's shoulders. 

“I’m not forcing you, kid, but you are sick. Your body needs rest to heal.” He couldn't think of a motive that would cause the teenager to avoid sleeping; he had always slept on their way to the compound for his lab days with Tony, and the kid once told him that taking a nap was something he enjoyed doing because he felt refreshed after. Now, though, it seemed like the opposite. Peter let out another whine, muffled by Happy's shirt, and shook his head again.

"Kid, tell me what's wrong. I want to help you, but I can't if you don't let me." The man sighed, resting the hand that wasn't around the boy's shoulders in his hair. There was a hesitant silence from the teenager, but then he gave in. 

"I-" he began tentatively, his voice still hoarse and raspy, "I don't want to see it." he mumbled in the man's chest. 

“See what?” Happy asked, confused.

“The- The battle. And… and... the end of it.” Peter whispered brokenly, taking a fistful of Happy's shirt.

“Oh, kid.” The ex-bodyguard whispered, embracing the boy in a tight hug while Peter began to silently cry on the man's shoulder, dampening his shirt.“You're having nightmares?” The kid just nodded, clinging to Happy.

"It-It's j-just..." Peter began, shaking because of the chills from the fever along with the sobbing, "Every time- every time I close my eyes, I see- I see... him. A-And he's... his face is..." his sentence was interrupted by a sudden wave of tears and hiccuping sobs, which were quickly hushed by Happy's kind murmuring. 

"Shhh... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, kid." the man whispered, while he rubbed the boy's back and stroked his hair. He knew what Peter meant. When Rhodey called him to let him know what happened, he made sure that Morgan was busy with something before he left to meet the colonel and Pepper in Tony's private Hospital. The sight of the hero's burned body was enough to make him burst into tears and almost gag. He could only imagine how Peter had felt when he witnessed the man's death. Helpless. Broken. Shocked. That's definitely something that would give you PTSD. 

Peter eventually cried himself to sleep, and Happy arranged him in a more comfortable position with the kid's head on his chest once again. He kept running his big fingers through the boy's slightly sweaty curls, and watched a few more episodes of Game of Thrones before letting his eyes close and joining the child in sleep. 

.  
.  
.

When he woke up, the first thing the man registered was the warm presence pressing to his side, and then the small whimpers coming from the same direction came into focus. Opening his eyes, he saw the teenager's frowning face with wet and tear stained cheeks, and immediately understood what was happening. Sitting up, he gently embraced the kid and began to whisper reassurances in his ear. He wiped a few tears that threatened to fall from Peter's cheeks and slowly shook the teen in order to wake him up.

A few seconds later, Peter's eyes did, in fact, shoot open and the teen let out a little yelp. He was shaking, Happy noted, probably from both the fever and fear, and he was breathing heavily as he grasped a handful of the man's shirt and turned his head to hide it on the ex-bodyguard's shoulder.  
He didn't cry or say anything, just stayed like that, completely still, while Happy held him in a firm hug. 

“You with me, kid?” he murmured, squeezing the back of the boy's neck. For a moment, the man thought that the kid had fallen back asleep, but Peter replied a few seconds later, absently nodding and nestling even closer to Happy. The ex-bodyguard tightened his grip on him and lifted a hand to put it on the teenager's forehead. He still felt warm and slightly sweaty, but he couldn't do anything about it in his current position or situation.

“I'm sorry we don't have your super-meds anymore.” He whispered guiltily. Tony had been the only one who knew the formula, and they still hadn't gone through FRIDAY's files to find it. Between the funeral, the public announcement,s and the destroyed Avenger's compound it hadn't been one of the top priorities. Knowing his best friend, he had probably thrown away the ones from five years ago, along with everything in the compound that reminded him too much of Peter. The only option would be to call and ask Pepper, but frankly he didn't want to bother her by having her look through everything.

“'s okay.” The teenager replied in a small murmur, his words slightly slurred, and Happy couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips. Even miserably sick and haunted by terrible nightmares, the kid was the kindest and most understanding person on the planet. 

“How are you feeling?” the man asked, smoothing the boy's hair back.

“Tired.” Peter replied absently, leaning into Happy's touch. “When's May coming back?” He asked softly after a second, and the man smiled again.

“What? You are already bored of spending time with me?” He asked with an overdramatic huff that made the kid giggle a little, and the ex-bodyguard's smile grew wider at the sound. Peter shook his head slightly.

"Just miss her." he explained, expression falling completely, morphing into something painfully similar to melancholy, and the ex-bodyguard knew that he wasn't talking only about his Aunt. 

“I'm sorry, Peter.” the man sighed, squeezing the boy's shoulder. “I know I'm not the one you want to be with right now.” The kid was now fidgeting with a button on Happy's shirt, looking intensely at it. He didn't reply right away, seeming to gather his thoughts first. When he did, though, his tone was soft and gentle, but also wretched.

"It's crushing when they leave," he said, and Happy felt tears stinging his eyes. "But when you have somebody near you, it's easier to put the pieces back together." the teen added, wiping a lonely tear from his own cheek. "And I'm glad to have you." That's when Happy lost it, bursting into tears and wrapping the boy up into a strong hug. 

Tony had once said, just after he came back to Earth, that he couldn't imagine living in a world without Peter. Now, sobbing together on the couch, the two felt the same way for the genius that had changed their lives. But they knew, just like Iron Man had when he had snapped his fingers, that it would get better. It always does. 

There's always a rainbow after the storm.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @_cheeksmile_fanfic.fanart if you'd like to have updates on my works and if you want to see some (bad) fanarts made by me!


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